Progress in SOC Development at Fraunhofer IKTS

In the context of the energy transition, all sectors have the need to achieve the CO2 reduction goals and to use renewable energy as basis of their activity. In particular, a corner stone is to radically transform the chemical industry by integrating highly efficient electrochemical processes based on renewable power. This is a possibility to decarbonize the synthesis of chemicals, which was one aspect of the Power-to-X concept.Due to the fast kinetic at high temperature (~ 800°C), Solid Oxide Cells (SOC) enable not only efficient conversion of steam into Hydrogen, but also simultaneous electrolysis of H2O and CO2 to produce in one step syngas (H2 + CO), which is one of the main feedstock for the production of valuable chemicals, e.g. via methanol.In this contribution we report on state-of-the-art electrolyte supported cells operated in H2O-CO2 co-electrolysis mode in a range of temperature between 770°C and 860°C with different steam/carbon ratios for syngas production.The electrochemical behavior of these cells is presented and discussed with regards of the specific thermodynamic of CO2 reduction. Additionally, the thermodynamic boundaries for carbon deposition are shown in order to identify safe operating regimes for cells and SOC stacks [1]. In this regard also ten-layer stacks with electrolyte supported cells were tested for 2000 h in exothermic steam and co-electrolysis mode at elevated pressures of 1.4 and 8 bar. The predominant increase of the ohmic resistance during operation was identified to be mainly responsible for the observed degradation of all three stacks whereas the increase of the polarization resistances played a subordinate role. Within the post-test analysis noticeably high Nickel depletion was observed for the stack operated at the highest pressure in steam electrolysis mode. When operated at high conversion for long time, i.e. typically 1000 hours, it is shown that the fuel electrode is affected by significant irreversible morphological changes due to silicon species originating very likely from the feed water, highlighting the needs in purified stream in order to keep degradation rates sufficiently low to enable sufficient lifetime of the systems. The important contributions by Mogens Mogensen with regard to steam electrolysis, co-electrolysis and degradation phenomena will be acknowledged.Aiming at enhancing durability and flexibility in SOC operation, we report as well on the potential use of an alternative perovskite electrocatalyst La0.65Sr0.3Cr0.85Ni0.15O3-δ (LSCrN) as fuel electrode for reversible operation in which performance in fuel cell steam electrolysis and co-electrolysis operating modes are evaluated.[1] Amaya Dueñas D. M, Riedel M., Riegraf M., Costa R., Friedrich K. A. (2020) High Temperature Co-electrolysis for Power-to-X, Chemie Ingenieur Technik 2020, 92, No. 1–2, 45–52, doi: 10.1002/cite.201900119

The study's objective was to develop a comprehensive definition for operational excellence (OE) while identifying its attributes, most suitable theoretical lens and dimensions. Attributes of OE were collected by evaluating 32 existing definitions of OE and interviewing 30 OE experts. A focus group interview with 15 OE experts was employed to consensus on the critical attributes and tentative dimensions of OE. Content analysis was employed for data analysis. Continuous improvement of sustainable operational performance, deriving sustainable competitive advantages and implementing the operation strategy consistently and reliably were determined as the critical attributes. Based on the identified critical attributes of OE, the Resource-Based Theory (RBT) was recognized as the most applicable theory for explaining OE. Based on the identified theoretical lens and identified critical attributes, the new definition of OE involves, ‘utilization of valuable, rare, costly to imitate and non-substitutable resources & capabilities to execute the operations strategy consistently and reliably as the organization can achieve: a continuous improvement of the sustainable operational performance and sustainable competitive advantages while upholding the satisfaction of employees, customers, suppliers and other important stakeholders.' Continuous improvement of sustainable operational performance and sustainable competitive advantages were determined as the possible dimensions of OE. 
 Keywords: Operational Excellence; Resource-Based Theory; Construct Definition, Operational Performance, Competitive Advantages

With continuous improvements in performance of microprocessors over the years, they now possess capabilities of supercomputers of earlier decade. Further with the continuous increase in the packaging density on the silicon and General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit (GPGPU) enhancements, has led to utilization the deep learning (DL) techniques, which had lost steam during the last decade. A GPGPU is a parallel programming setup using a combination of GPUs and CPUs that can manipulate large matrices. Interestingly, GPUs were created for faster graphic processing, but found its way into relevant scientific computing. DL is a subset of the artificial intelligence (AI) domain and falls specifically under the set of machine learning (ML) techniques which are based on learning data representations rather than task‐specific algorithms. It has been observed that the accuracy and the pragmatism of deploying DL at massive level was restricted by technological issues of executing DL based AI models, with extremely large training sessions running into weeks. DL applications can solve problems of very large order and areas like computer vision/image processing is one of the early successes and becoming quite a sensation in many areas such as natural language processing (NLP) with state of the art real‐time translation capabilities, automatic game playing, optical character recognition especially handwritten text, and so on. This overview traverses the evolution and successful adoption in the various industry verticals.This article is categorized under: Application Areas > Industry Specific Applications Application Areas > Business and Industry Technologies > Machine Learning

ABSTRACTWe investigated trends in participation, performance and sex difference in performance in 3000 m freestyle in age groups swimmers (25–29 to 85–89 years) competing in the Fédération Internationale de Natation World Masters Championships between 1992 and 2014. During this period, participation increased in women and men. Women and men improved race times across years in all age groups. Women were slower in age groups 25–29 to 70–74 years. In age groups 75–79 and 85–89 years, however, race times were similar for both women and men. Sex difference in performance remained unchanged across years. In summary, performance improved across years in all age groups, men were faster than women up to the age group 70–74 years and women were not able to reduce the sex difference in performance to men across years. For athletes and coaches, an increase in participation and a continuous improvement in performance can be expected in these age group athletes.

INTRODUCTION With the breakdown of Dennard’s scaling rule, chip power for a given area size is not constant as transistors shrink from generation to generation [1]. In particular, the power wall problem worsens with the continual improvement in performance of high-performance computers. The power challenge has been identified as the biggest research challenge [2]. Practical exascale systems of the future should meet a power constraint of 20 MW [2]. The Tianhe-2 system, the fastest supercomputer on the TOP500 list of June 2015, consumes 17.8 MW in running the high-performance Linpack (HPL) benchmark, achieving a performance of 33.86 Pflops. Compared with the Tianhe-2, an exascale system must obtain 30 times the performance improvement with 1.12 times the increase in power consumption. Clearly, in creating such exascale systems, satisfying such power requirements using evolutionary approaches is near impossible. Realizing this challenging power target depends on improvements in many technologies, especially, the viable and revolutionary technologies including new devices, innovative architectures and systems, and energy-aware intelligent technologies; see Figure 1.

Modifying the Toyota Production System for Continuous Performance Improvement in an Academic Children's Hospital

Chromium poisoning of the air electrode is a primary degradation mechanism for solid oxide cells (SOCs) operating under fuel cell mode. Recent experimental findings show that reversed pulse operation for SOCs operated as electrolyser cells can reverse this degradation and extend the lifetime. Here, we use a multiphysics model of an SOC to investigate the effects of reversed pulse operation for alleviating chromium poisoning of the air electrode. We study the effects of time fraction of the operation under fuel cell and electrolysis modes, cyclic operation starting after a certain duration, and fuel cell and electrolysis current densities on the cell lifetime, total power, and hydrogen production. Our modeling shows that reversed pulse operation enhances cell lifetime and total power for all different cases considered in this study. Moreover, results suggest that the cell lifetime, total power, and hydrogen production can be increased by reversed pulse operation at longer operation times under electrolysis mode, cyclic operation starting from the beginning, and lower electrolysis current densities. All in all, this paper documents and establishes a computational framework that can serve as a platform to assess and quantify the increased profitability of SOCs operating under a co-production operation through reversed pulse operation.

In this paper we present lightning statistics for more than three million cloud‐to‐ground (CG) flashes located during the 10‐year operation period 1992–2001 of the Austrian lightning location system (LLS) called ALDIS (Austrian Lightning Detection and Information System). Like a majority of other LLS operated worldwide, ALDIS underwent configuration changes and continuous performance improvement. Since these changes can alter the lightning statistics, we also relate the variation of the individual lightning parameters during the period of operation to changes in ALDIS configuration and performance. This analysis should be useful to other network operators and data users. Flash densities in Austria are normally between 0.5 and 4 flashes km −2 yr −1 depending on terrain. Flashes are classified as negative, positive, or bipolar. Seventeen percent of the flashes were classified as positive, and 2.3% of the total number of flashes were bipolar. Fifty percent of the positive multiple‐stroke flashes were bipolar flashes with positive first stroke; this influences the positive flash multiplicity and interstroke interval statistics. Compared to many other networks, the ALDIS network reports much lower median negative peak currents. For 2001, the median first‐stroke peak current for negative flashes was 10 kA. Estimated multiplicity of negative flashes for the 10‐year period is affected by the algorithm that groups strokes into flashes, as well as the improved DE of the network as a result of the integration of ALDIS into the European LLS (EUCLID). This performance improvement also resulted in a higher number of single‐stroke flashes. Interstroke interval and median first‐stroke peak current show a clear correlation with multiplicity for negative flashes, irrespective of detection efficiency. Negative flashes with higher multiplicity show smaller average interstroke intervals and larger first stroke median peak currents. No correlation between interstroke interval and stroke order was found. On average, regions with higher flash density show slightly higher flash multiplicity.

Implementing Fuzzy Logic and AHP into the EFQM model for performance improvement: A case study

Much experience of EMAS has been gained since the adoption of the Regulation, which is now in the process of being revised. "Old" EMAS has taken off at a reasonable rate (847 registered sites and 204 verifiers at the end of June 1997) and has shown both some benefits and some difficulties and/or shortcomings. The revision process leading to a new" EMAS involves ad hoc meetings and a series of consultation seminars with the various interested actors in the Member States. Current discussions, which centre on the need to improve the efficiency of EMAS and increase the participation of companies, suggests a need for some clarification of provisions which have presented barriers and difficulties. Beyond any technical differences, the issues at stake include the credibility of the commitment to continuous improvement of a company's environmental performance any technical differences, the issues at stake include the credibility of the commitment to continuous improvement of a company's environmental performance (the international standard on environmental management systems). The latter would involve extending the scope of the Regulation from "site" to company level, from "manufacturing" industry to "services" and from "processes" to "products". A further aspect for revision is the improvement of the accreditation aspects while guaranteeing their credibility and refining adequately the requirements relating to the environmental statement. At the centre of the debate on revision is the need to emphasise the dynamic on revision is the need to emphasise the dynamic promote the elements that will make it "attractive". Revising the contents of the environmental statement will be of key importance as a catalyst for change.

Over the years, we have seen a growing interest in the use of interorganizational networks as a means to develop and deliver ever more complex products and services. Much of the earlier research was carried out on supply networks — mostly focused on strong lead-manufacturing firms producing mass-produced consumer goods. More recently, attention has been paid to a new model of industrial organization based on systems integration being adopted by many of the world's leading firms, particularly those in high-technology sectors [Hobday et al. (2005)]. The key role of systems integrator is usually played by a prime contractor or a dominant manufacturer.However, there are sectors where structural problems inhibit both the innovation and the development of supply networks and where it is not obvious who should play the systems integrator role. The UK construction sector has long been characterized as fragmented with much of the industry continuing to be structured and constrained by the contracting model that emerged in the early 19th century with the emergence of the professions. These structural problems are often held to contribute to the perceived poor record of innovation in the sector [Winch (1998); Gann et al. (1992)].This paper analyzes how BAA, a major airport operator and construction client, developed and managed a network of suppliers to deliver both its portfolio of routine capital construction projects and one-off complex mega projects. To achieve its objectives, BAA sets about implementing ways of improving the efficiency of its ongoing capital projects that would enable them to show continuous improvement in performance whilst simultaneously developing the project capabilities required to manage the massive T5 project. These developments enabled BAA to address issues of predictability at the same time as providing an environment that encouraged innovation.

S is a systematic technique used by organizations comes from five Japanese words: Seiri (sort), Seiton (set in order), Seiso (shine), Seiketsu (standardize), and Shitsuke (sustain). This system helps to organize a work space for efficiency and decrease wasting and optimize quality and productivity via monitoring an organized environment and use visual evidences to obtain more firm results effectiveness. As importance role of 5S implementation in today's organizations, this study aims to review previous studies about benefits of 5S implementation and its efficiency in organizations. Consequently 5S can support the objectives of organization to achieve continuous improvement in performance and productivity.

Analogous to multiple symbol differential detection of quadrature phase-shift-keying (QPSK), a multiple bit differential detection scheme is described for offset QPSK that also exhibits continuous improvement in performance with increasing observation interval. Being derived from maximum-likelihood (ML) considerations, the proposed scheme is purported to be the most power efficient scheme for such a modulation and detection method. Extension of the result to shaped offset QPSK is also possible.

Reward timing matters in motor learning

In the last years, Additive Manufacturing, thanks to its capability of continuous improvements in performance and cost-efficiency, was able to partly replace and redefine well-established manufacturing processes. This research is based on the idea to achieve great cost and operational benefits especially in the field of tool making for injection molding by combining traditional and additive manufacturing in one process chain. Special attention is given to the surface quality in terms of surface roughness and its optimization directly in the Selective Laser Melting process. This article presents the possibility for a remelting process of the SLM parts as a way to optimize the surfaces of the produced parts. The influence of laser remelting on the surface roughness of the parts is analyzed while varying machine parameters like laser power and scan settings. Laser remelting with optimized parameter settings considerably improves the surface quality of SLM parts and is a great starting point for further post-processing techniques, which require a low initial value of surface roughness.